Adjustable mounting for wall switch boxes and similar receptacles



March 2K7, 1934.-

ADJUsi'ABLE uol-m1'm1-0R WALL swIT'cH BoxEs AND sIuILAR REcEPTAcLEs E'EKENNA y E 1,952,077.

Eaward.' Kenia Bwgf,m

ATTORNEY March 2 7, 1934,

ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR` WALL lSWITCH BOXES AND SIMILAR RECEPTACLES Filed Jan. 5, 1932 E. F. KENNA 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ivi/enna Patented Mar. 27, 1934 v UNITED STATES 1,952,077 K Y ADJUSTABLE M o U N 'r I N G lron. WALL SWITCH BOXES AND TACLES SIMILAR RECEP- Edward F. Kenna, Hoboken, N. J.

Application January 5, 1932, Serial No. 584,794

7 claims. (o1. 247-,22)

. This invention relates generally to the mounting of wall boxes used to hold electrical switches, receptacles, side wall brackets and similar equipment, and is specifically designed toy provide a simple, inexpensive, and universal mounting for a standard type of such wall boxes now quite 'generally used and hereinafter described. 1 The type of box Areferred to is provided with 'certain laterally projecting lugs which are now usually fastenedv tobuilt-up horizontal wooden stripsextending from stud to stud for the mount- ;ing of boxes in vertical positions, or to horizontal wooden strips with vertical wooden strips setV in between for mounting boxes in horizontal positions, both of *whichl procedures ccnsumea lot of time. Other supports not allowing adjustment of position, either horizontaler Vertical, or` of the Ymounting of boxes in gangs, have also been usually employed heretofore.

My present invention provides a simple, standardized set of supporting apparatus by which such standard wall boxes can be quickly and neatly mounted in any'of the standard lath andplaster Awall structures, in any desired location and position, horizontal or vertical. Also, by my invention single boxes or boxes in gangs of two, three or more can be easily and quickly installed, so that the savingin time needed'by the electrician for doing the work will more than equal the cost ofv such apparatus. v The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in :the accompanying two sheets of drawings in Which f Fig. 1 isa front elevation showing the switch box installed in one position, parts of the supporting structure being broken away.

Fig. 2 `is a similar view showing the box installed V in another position.

Fig. 3 shows a modification. Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4 4 of Fig. l on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a gang box with a portion of the supporting structure.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts. l', l, represent portions or thel studding usually employed in building partition walls of lath and plaster. In the preferred form of my invention I employ metal rods 2, 2,' which are made of proper length to be fastened across between two adjacent portions of the elements of the studding, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in parallel position. 3, 3, represent generally a standard form of wall switch box now quite generally used, andthe particular embodiment of my invention here illustrated'is specifically designed for use with this type' of box, but of course the principleof the invention could be equally well applied to other constructions of wall boxes or similar containers withslightmodi- @.0

lfications of the details cfconstructi'on here shown and described.

Referring to the box 3, the details of its construction are as follows: The bottom of theibox is formed by a strip of metal 4, the ends of which are turned up at 5, 5, to form the box'ends. 8, 8, are the side plates which are held to the'box ends by the construction best shown in Fig. 4, where 9 is alug bent inward from one end'of eachside plate, leaving recess 10 besideitfin the end of the plate, into which recess 'fits a similar lug 11 bent out and'around from'the 'box' 'end 5, and having beside it a notched or cutaway por'- tion 12 into which the lug 9'is nested. The said plates 8, 8,'are duplicates, each having'on one end W5 the lug 9 above described and shownat theright hand side of Fig. 4, while its other'end has a wide notch 13 stamped in it, as shown at the lefthand side of Fig. 4, and a slightly dished-in portion 14 in the bottom -of this notch into which may nest the fastening screw '7, which'is screwed into the lug 6, formed'on the box and projecting into notch 13. These boxes as now marketed are 'also provided with angle lug members 15,15, held on either end of the box by setscrews 17, 17, engaging the slotted feet 16, 16, of said angle lug members 15.v The box construction above described constitutes nor part of my invention, said invention relating to convenient means for mounting such box in any position and such invention consists essentially in the combination with the box of the pivoted clamps represented generally by 18, 18, which are adapted to embrace the rods 2 and slide along same, or be fastened in any position thereon.

The preferred construction of such clamps here shown comprises two similar jaw members 19,` 19, which are formed by cutting a narrow strip of metal into sections of the proper length and 2100 bending one end of each section into half-round shape to produce the similar semicircular rejaw member to receive the pivot screw 21. The angle lug member 15 being then perforated to receive the pivot member 21 at any desired point, the clamp may be pivotally mounted on said lug 15 and swung either into the position in Fig. 2 so that when grasping the rods 2 the box 3 has its major axis extending at right aangles to ksaid rods or, when swung into the position shown `in Fig. 1, said clamps may also grasp said rods and then hold the box in position with its major axis parallel to said rod. To permit of the last described arrangement the clamps 18 of course must be of such length that when swung into the position shown in Fig. 1 the clampingjaws will project beyond the planes of the side walls of the box. If the pivot members 21 are also screws the clamps can be fastened in any position of angular adjustment by setting up said screws.

23, 23, represent lugs on the box ends as now marketed which can be used for fastening ush switches, receptacles, or bridges (side wall brackets) lfor supporting wall fixtures in position.,

Fig. 5 shows the manner in which my invention may be used in installing what is known as a gang box which is simply an Velongated b ox produced by .combining parts .of several 4of the standard boxes shown in Figs. 1, 2 and ,4. Thus by removing the right Ahand side plate 8 from one :b ox, the lefthand side plate from another such 'box and :both said side -plates from a third box, the three may be combined, as shown in Fig. 5, to form a gang box, the length of which is equal to three times the width .of the standard box, while the width of said gang box is equal to the length .of the standard box. The end sections of the constituent boxes are fastened together by sliding the depressed lug 6 of one box end partly under the lug `11 of the adjacent box end and then nesting the setscrew 7, carried by lug 6 of one box end, in 4the recess 12 opposite the lug 11 of the adjacent box end and setting up setscrew '7. .The structure so produced can be supported by my clamps 18, 1 8, `one beingmount ed at each corner of the gang box on an angle lug member 15, as before, swung into proper position and clamped in that position.

The mode .of operation of the invention has been previously described in substance. The rods 2, 2 are fastened to the studding at the proper distance apart, the clamps 18, in partly .open condition, are pivotally mounted on the angle lug members 15 and swung into proper positions to grasp the rods and the clamp screws 22 set up far enough to ensure said clamps holding on the rods. The box may then be shifted lengthwise of the rods until the correct position in the wall is attained and thereafter the screws 21 and 22 are set up firmly so as to cause the clamps to frictiona-lly grasp the rods and hold the box in that position.

It is evident that the several portions of the foregoing operations may be quickly performed by any workman who is capable of boring holes in wood and putting in screws and that the entire operation can be quickly performed and will ensure an exact locating of the wall switch, receptacle and side wall outlet boxes in any desired position. The elements of the combination constituting my invention can be very cheaply man.- ufactured as standard metalstrips can be used for making the clamps which can be cut out and stamped into form at one operation in a press, and of conrse the screws and rods are of stand- .crd ,Commercial .frm which @an be bought in quantity at low cost.

"nlug l5 and the pivoted clamp 18, as shown in Fig. 3. A longer screw 21 is then used. Thus the box may be set out farther from the studding so as A,to still be flush with the finished surface of the tiles or base.

When it -is desirable to support the ends of the cut sections of wooden lathing left on either side of the box, I employ the lath Support shown in Fig. 2, which -is also slidingly mounted on vrods 2, 2, as there shown. This comprises an elongated U.shaped clip 31, the free ends `of which are forced together by screw `bolt 32 so as to clamp the out lath ends 33, 33, between the legs of the clip 311.

To render this convertible for usewith both vertically and horizontally arranged boxes, it is made long enough for the former but also provided with an extra set of screw holes 3.4, 34, through which `screw 32 is inserted when the device is used with horizontally arranged boxes. V"1'0 get rid of the extra then unused length of clip legs, they are each given a reduced cross section just beyond holes .34, as ,indicated .at .35. 35, so that they-may be easily broken ofi lat those points by bending them sharply at Said points. leavingthe short clamp kfor use as Shown in Fig. 1.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of an electrical equipment Iwall box, having a plurality of projecting lugs on its exterior, with an adjacent rod fastened to the wall structure, and a two-Dart clamp pivotally mounted so as to swing in a plane parallel to 2120 the bottom wall of the box on each said lug and Aextending at right angles to and frictionally grasping said rod, each of said clamps having a length such that when it is swung to a position parallel to an end wall of said box its jaws will '1.25 extend beyond the plane of an adjacent side wall thereof.

2. A combination such as defined in claim .1 in which each of said lugs is perforated and each of said two-part clamps comprises duplicate mem- L bers each formed out of an integral strip of metal bent to half round shape at one end to serve as a jaw and provided at other points with similarly located spaced-apart perforations, a pivot member extending through the pair of perforations furthest removed from said jaws and through said lug perforation, and a clamping screw extending through the pair of perforations adjacent said Jaws.

3. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which each of said lugs is perforated and each of said two-part clamps comprises duplicate members each formed out of an integral strip of metal bent to half round shape at one end to serve as a jaw and provided at other points with similarly located spaced-apart perforations, a pivot member extending through the pair of perforations furthest removed from said jaws and through said lug perforation, and a clamping screw extending through the pair of perforations adjacent .150

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said jaws, said pivot member also being screwthreaded.

4. The combination, with the studding of a` building partition wall, of a pair of parallel rods having their ends fastened to adjacent elements of said studding, a wall box for containing electrical switches or the like equipment which has projecting, perforated lugs on its opposite ends, a plurality of clamps pivotally mounted on said lugs so as to each swing in a plane parallel to the bottom wall of said box and having jaws partly surrounding said rods and means 'for causing said clamps to frictionally engage said rods.

5. The combination with an electrical equipment wall box, a pair of parallel rods fastened to the studding of a building partition wall, a plurality of laths fastened to said studding and extending parallel to said rods, and means for supporting said box between said rods at a point between the cut ends of said laths, of a plurality of clips each composed of a at strip of metal bent to a U-shape midway of its length so that its two halves extend parallel one to the other and far enough apart to permit said clips to be hooked over one of said rods with its free ends extending along either side of said laths and beyond the other rod, said free ends being perforated to receive Aa bolt for clamping them onto said laths, together with a screw bolt extending through said perorations for such purpose.

6. A combination such as dened in claim 5 in which the side members of said clips aie each deeply scored at a point midway of their length; as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with an electrical equipment wall box, having perforated projecting lugs on opposite ends, of perforated clamps adapted to grasp parallel supporting rods, screw bolts passing through said perforations in lugs and clamps, and spacing sleeves surrounding said bolts and each held between a lug and a clamp.

, EDWARD F. KENNA. 

